Appalachian State University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The Sustainable Development Department emerges from the United Nations mandate to engender "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Our mission is to prepare students to engage in the social, economic, and environmental transformations necessary to create thriving, equitable, and sustainable communities within an ecologically healthy world.

This mission is achieved through:
*integrative teaching and mentoring;
*applied research, experiential education, and restorative creative endeavors; and
*effective and ethical community engagement, both locally and globally.

We envision a world where sustainability and sustainable development are integrated into all human endeavors. We imagine a world based on a deep appreciation for life, with lasting natural and cultural wealth, where well-being, social justice, and ecological integrity are valued and guarded with the same rigor as economic prosperity. Graduates of the Sustainable Development Program will be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively and ethically address sustainability challenges in public, private, and non-profit sectors through informed, engaged, and hopeful work.

Appropriate Technology reflects an approach to technological development, characterized by creative and sound engineering, that recognizes the social, environmental, political, economic, and technical aspects of a proposed technological solution to a problem facing a society. Generally, appropriate technologies are smaller-scale technologies that are ecologically and socially benign, affordable, and often powered by renewable energy. The field is an interdisciplinary one drawing from the physical and social sciences as well as from engineering, architecture, and technology. Areas of interest include energy conversion systems (i.e. wind, hydro, biofuels, etc.), waste and water management, community and shelter design, technology assessment, small-scale production systems, and technology transfer.

The curriculum for the Environmental Science program is a science-intensive, cross-disciplinary experience that also includes a required "active learning" component. Students take a suite of "core" introductory courses in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geology, along with 2 semesters of calculus and a statistics course. Another 20 semester hours of "Environmental" courses - which includes courses such as ecology, environmental chemistry, and Geographical Information Systems, among others - are required as well. The curriculum is rounded out with at least 12 additional semester hours in "concentration" areas: Chemistry, Geophysical Sciences, and/or Biology.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, sustainability requires that we "have and will continue to have the water, materials, and resources necessary to protect human health and our environment" while maintaining a robust economy and a just society. To ensure continued access to those precious resources, it is vital that we understand these earth systems and processes that create or maintain them. As part of the Geology and Environmental Sciences degree tracks and as part of the General Education curriculum, the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences offer numerous courses related to sustainability, climate change, natural resources, water quality and quantity, and the natural environment.

Comprehensive list of Sustainability Focused and Sustainability Related degree programs:

https://sustain.appstate.edu/academics/degrees/

Prepare for a variety of careers within the residential, commercial, industrial, performance, and design fields of the building industry. Coursework emphasizes energy efficiency, sustainable design, construction processes and innovative materials using applied learning techniques and the most current computer software, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), which is applied to building design, estimating, engineering and scheduling.

Appalachian State University’s Bachelor of Science in Building Sciences degree with a concentration in Sustainable Building Systems develops students’ skills in the analysis, evaluation and advancement of energy efficient design, construction and integrated building systems.

http://buildingscience.appstate.edu/

The college's Department of Management offers a minor in sustainable business (http://management.appstate.edu/academics) available to business and non‐business majors, that provides students with a comprehensive foundation in the ways that business and sustainability intersect. Students acquire knowledge and skills needed to design and manage businesses to promote environmental quality, minimize needed resources, promote healthy communities and increase long‐term effectiveness. 18 credit hours are required to complete the minor, including courses in sustainable business theory and practice, principles of sustainable development, creativity and design, environmental and resource economics, and change management or social entrepreneurship.

This minor focuses on concerns about environmental and social impacts of technology. Students augment sustainability concepts in their curriculum with a strong technical foundation including the study of material processing, construction, CAD/drafting, design, manufacturing, computer technology, and electronics.